Boarder X at the Museum of Vancouver, a traveling exhibition which opened on October 1st, reveals skateboarding, snowboarding, and surfing as vehicles that challenge conformity and status quo.
Boarder X at the Museum of Vancouver – Images submitted
Boarder X at the Museum of Vancouver
When: On view at MOV until October 1, 2022. Where:Museum of Vancouver (1100 Chestnut St, Vancouver) Admission: Purchase online in advance or on site
Originally exhibited at the Winnipeg Art Gallery in 2016,Boarder X features work by contemporary artists from Indigenous nations across Canada including Amanda Strong, Bracken Hanuse Corlett, Jordan Bennett, Meagan Musseau, Roger Crait, Steven Davies, Mark Igloliorte, Mason Mashon, Meghann O’Brien, Colonialism Skateboards in collaboration with Kent Monkman, and Les Ramsay.
“A museum needs people to be relevant. The Boarder X exhibition provides a wonderful opportunity for MOV to connect with Indigenous, and other youth, within the city of Vancouver. We were so pleased to have the opportunity to include a mini half pipe in the gallery space, where we can use it year-round for community engagement and add another level of animation to the gallery space.” – Sharon Fortney, Curator of Indigenous Culture and Engagement, Museum of Vancouver
Included from the MOV collections are works by contemporary Indigenous artists K.C. Hall, Olivia George, Skokaylem Zac George, and Takeover Skateboarding as well as older works by unknown Indigenous artists.
The exhibition, which recently was recognized for outstanding achievement by the Canadian Museums Association (“CMA”), reflects cultural, political, environmental, and social perspectives related to the landscapes and territories we occupy. Examining contested spaces, political borders, hybrid identities, and traditional lands, the artwork draws parallels to urban areas prohibiting skateboarding, ski runs unwelcome to snowboarders, and surfers’ constant search for uncrowded waves.
Boarder X also showcases how art can be inclusive and transformative, by bridging the present – the passion that many Indigenous youth have for skateboarding, surfing, and snowboarding – with the past, which weaves together paintings, carvings, photography, video and textiles that shine a spotlight on cultural, political, and environmental issues.
Through financial support from Vans Canada, MOV was able to build 2 quarter pipes within the exhibition space. This mini ramp with be activated throughout the year for workshops, and public engagement events. MOV is partnering with local community groups, Nations Skate Youth and Takeover Skateboarding, to create opportunities for public programming and youth involvement and engagement within the exhibition. Once the exhibition closes the 2 quarter pipes will be donated to a community group for ongoing use.
Add a Comment
by Rebecca BollwittDisclosure: Sponsored Post — Sponsored by Cerebral Palsy Association of BC Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
BC Place is one of over 15 BC landmarks lighting up green for World CP Day on October 6th. To find out just how that will happen, Cerebral Palsy Association of BC (“CPABC”) spokesperson Marco Pasqua and I met up with a member of the lighting team to see just exactly how that will work. Long story short: With a tap of an iPhone!
Setup on the False Creek Seawall across the water from the stadium, Lighting Programmer Stefan Zubovic with Eos Lightmedia explained the software, the programming, and how it all comes together.
“Everything you see that’s video or operational, our team handles,” says Zubovic. “That goes for the maintenance of the lighting controller to the programming of new shows, to any kind of assistance the stadium needs with troubleshooting. We also provide some advice on best practices. A lot of the actual physical work is handled by the internal, stadium staff.”
Marco Pasqua (CPABC Spokesperson) and Stefan Zubovic (Eos Lightmedia) flip the switch!
Much of the software Zubovic and the Eos team use is free and can be downloaded online. Of course they also have access to the stadium’s secure VPN that allows them to control the light from almost anywhere, with a connection of course.
Aside from solid colours, you may have seen the stadium light up with a Union Jack when Sir Paul McCartney was in town, and when I was at BC Place the other day for the Whitecaps match I noticed animated hearts. So how do they achieve that level of detail?
The stadium roof façade – known as the Northern Lights Display– uses 1,700 ‘ETFE’ panels, stacked four rows high, and 6,800 linear feet of energy-efficient LED lights to create customizable lighting displays. “They are basically four foot long LED lights that have four pixels in them so every foot you can control different colours,” says Zubovic.
Showing off the pixels and panels in a “fireworks” display
On Wednesday, BC Place will be green for World Cerebral Palsy Day. This is a global movement of people with cerebral palsy and their families, and the organizations that support them, in more than 60 countries. The day is an opportunity to celebrate, raise awareness and take action to ensure that people with CP have the same rights, access and opportunity as anyone else in their communities.
You can support CPABC’s programs, equipment, therapies, and financial assistance for those with CP living in BC by donating today. If you spot a BC landmark glowing green tonight, take a photo and share on social media with the tag #BC4CP and follow CPABC on Instagram for more info.
The Vancouver Writers Fest will feature 115 extraordinary local and international authors in a combination of in-person, digital, and hybrid events from October 18-24, 2021. Digital events are available to viewers in a pay-what-you-can model, and some of them will be streamed in a comfortable cinema setting at The Nest on Granville Island.
Vancouver Writers Fest 2021
This year’s Guest Curator is Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize winner Lawrence Hill, who has arranged five events focused on Black and Indigenous writers. He will moderate a discussion about Caribbean literature with Cherie Jones and Myriam Chancy and interview award-winning poet Chantal Gibson. Other events feature some of the season’s hottest authors, including two-time Scotiabank Giller Prize winner Esi Edugyan, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anthony Doerr, Indigenous author and playwright Tomson Highway, and powerhouse authors such as Mona Awad, Zoe Whittall, Rachel Yoder, Ian Williams, Darrel McLeod, Maria Stepanova, and Colm Tóibín.
With free events for youth (and family) speaking to themes of cultural identity, inclusion, healing from grief, and Indigenous storytelling, and digital events featuring Jordan Abel in conversation with Tanya Talaga, award-winning young adult author Caroline Adderson and powerhouse duo Tom Ryan and Robin Stevenson, there’s plenty to see at this year’s Festival.
TransLink and Shaw Communications Inc. are launching free WiFi for customers on six RapidBuses, on three SkyTrains, at Edmonds Station, and at Carvolth Exchange. This is the beginning of a system-wide rollout that will provide free WiFi for TransLink customers on all buses, SeaBuses, SkyTrains, transit stations, and major transit hubs. TransLink expects the rollout will complete in 2026.
TransLink Submitted Image
TransLink Rolls Out Free WiFi on Transit
Free Shaw WiFi is already available on board SeaBuses and in SeaBus terminals for customers as part of a previous rollout from TransLink and Shaw.
Bringing WiFi to the transit system is part of their ongoing efforts to elevate the customer experience while we continue to welcome customers back to transit.
“We know that free WiFi is something our customers want, and I’m so excited to start delivering this important feature to elevate the customer experience,” says TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn. “Free WiFi means that our customers can use their transit time for leisure, work, or better connecting with family and friends without spending their money on data fees.”
This rollout will first prioritize activating WiFi on RapidBuses, SkyTrains, and 60-foot articulated buses to provide WiFi on the vehicles serving the most customers. TransLink and Shaw will then continue to install WiFi on vehicles until the whole fleet is equipped.
“We are proud to partner with TransLink so its customers can stay connected when they are on buses, trains or in transit stations across the Lower Mainland,” said Katherine Emberly, President, Business, Shaw Communications. “Today’s announcement represents another milestone in our collective commitment to providing commuters with fast, seamless WiFi connectivity that they can enjoy for free across TransLink’s system.”
Posters and signage will be on display on vehicles and at transit hubs with WiFi to make customers aware of its availability and to provide clear instructions on how to connect to WiFi during their transit journey. To find out how to use WiFi and to see progress updates on the system’s WiFi installation over time, visit the TransLink WiFi info page.
Food Stash has opened its Pay-What-You-Feel Rescued Food Market, which will be available every Friday from 3:30pm to 6:00pm at 340 W 2nd Ave in Vancouver. The market will function as a ‘pay what you feel’ grocery store, an idea inspired by another food rescue organization in Ontario, Kindness Cafe.
Food Stash Pay-What-You-Can Rescued Food Market
Food Waste is a huge issue in Canada with 58% of our food produced being lost or wasted while 15% of our population reported suffering from food insecurity.
In keeping with Food Stash’s passion for zero waste, guests are encouraged to bring their own clean bags to take away groceries, but free reusable tote bags will be available on site.
The phrase ‘pay what you feel’ rather than ‘pay what you can,’ eliminates the element of shame associated with not being able to afford the rising costs of food while also creating a greater sense of belonging. Those who shop at the market can choose whether or not to donate money to help keep the market going.
Along with campaigns that celebrate ‘rescued food’ as nutritious, delicious and good for everyone (and the planet), the market will serve as an educational opportunity for visitors to gain a sense of just how much food we waste in Canada.
The market will also complement the new community fridge that will sit in front of the building. The fridge was in collaboration with Vancouver Community Fridge Project, and is stocked with safe, healthy food by Food Stash Foundation and the general community in the area, for anyone to take as they please 24/7. By having more on-site food relief options in addition to their delivery programs, Food Stash is fulfilling their goal to expand their impact without increasing their reliance on fossil fuels.
About Food Stash
Food Stash Foundation is a registered charity that aims to reduce the environmental impact of food waste and address food insecurity within our community. The organization picks up fresh, healthy food from grocers, wholesalers and farms that would otherwise go to waste. Of the 70,000 lbs of food that is rescued per month, 85% is redistributed to charities while 15% is brought back to the Food Stash warehouse to sort into boxes that are delivered to 100 Vancouver households experiencing food insecurity.
